Redesigned MAX railroad overpass rolls closer to construction

A bridge will carry pedestrians and cyclists to a MAX station and College Avenue businesses.

Apr. 17, 2013

This rendering shows the Spring Creek overpass to be built across the BNSF Railway tracks linking the city of Fort Collins' MAX bus rapid transit system and South College Avenue stores such as Whole Foods Market to buildings west of the tracks. / Courtesy of city of Fort Collins

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Josh Johnston, of CEI, guides concrete into a mold that will form one of two abutments of a MAX bus rapid transit system bridge over Mail Creek just south of Harmony Road in Fort Collins in this Feb. 28 file photo. / V. Richard Haro/Coloradoan

Mason Corridor

• What it is: An economic development initiative anchored by the MAX bus rapid transit system, which will carry riders between stations from Old Town to south of Harmony Road • What it will do: Link south Fort Collins to CSU and downtown through MAX and the Mason Trail • Length: 5 miles from Cherry Street to Harmony Road • Facilities: A dedicated guideway for buses along part of the route, an overpass of the BNSF Railway tracks behind Whole Foods Market, an underpass of the tracks at Troutman Parkway, two transit centers, 12 stations • Cost: About $87 million, with 80 percent of funding coming from the Federal Transit Administration • MAX operations expected to begin: May 2014 • Information: www.fcgov.com/mason

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With the opening of the MAX bus rapid transit about a year away, plans to build a $3 million overpass to carry pedestrians and bicyclists across the BNSF Railway tracks in midtown Fort Collins are slowly stepping forward.

Final design of the project is underway with a contract expected to go to bid soon, said Rick Richter, director of infrastructure services for the city of Fort Collins.

The structure is expected to have 300-foot-long ramps on both sides leading to a bridge that will be 30 feet above the railroad tracks, he said. The ramps will have several switchbacks and an 8 percent slope, or a 1-inch rise for every 12 inches of surface, on both sides.

“It’s really flat,” Richter said. “It has to meet (Americans with Disabilities Act) standards for accessibility on both sides.”

Construction on the overpass’ ramps and bridge is expected this summer and fall, with the structure expected to be open by the time MAX is operational in May 2014. The overpass will connect to a MAX station on the east side of the tracks near Whole Foods Market.

Technically, the overpass is not part of the $87 million MAX project because it is separately funded. But it’s a key part of the MAX system, Richter said.

The original design for the overpass envisioned using elevators to take pedestrians and bikes to the bridge. But bids for the project came in higher than the $3 million available to build it.

Designers also realized the city would be looking at maintenance costs of $20,000 to $30,000 a year to keep the elevators operating, Richter said.

“The ramps will be open, so we’ll still have maintenance costs with sweeping and snow removal,” he said. “But we think this is a better and more cost-effective approach.”

A long walk

Beyond tying in to MAX, the overpass will provide a critical east-west connection for foot and bike traffic to businesses along South College Avenue and neighborhoods to the west.

Workers from the Natural Resources Research Center on the west side of the tracks have to trek north to the underpass that carries the Spring Creek Trail and backtrack south to reach Whole Foods and other businesses on the east side of the tracks.

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Trespassing across the tracks has been an issue over the years, with pedestrians cutting through or climbing over a fence dividing the Mason Trail from the tracks.

With law enforcement officials monitoring the tracks and reinforcing the fence, trespassing has become less common but it still goes on, said Nancy Agnew, owner of nearby Once Again thrift store.

But the majority of travelers take the long way around, she said.

“I see groups of people walking by all of the time and lots of bicycles,” she said. “They really have to work to get here, but they do it.”

The MAX project is likely to be a “mixed blessing” for nearby businesses, she said. The overpass will bring more people to the area, but already tight parking around Whole Foods could get more congested with the station.

“I have no problem sharing, but now we’re even going to have more,” she said.

“There’s not much I can do to help it other than staying out of the way,” he said. “It’s very entertaining to see it go up.”

The station and bridge will be near the store, which will lose some of its parking and test-riding area in the reconfigured parking lot.

The overpass will certainly increase foot and bike traffic to local businesses, he said, but how that will translate to sales is hard to predict.

Shoemaker said he is supportive of the MAX project and is optimistic about how it will impact the community.

“I like the idea of it,” he said. “It will save a lot of trips. Instead of using your car for everything, you can hop on a bus. It’s less expensive and a lot safer.”

Lots of changes

Work along the MAX route between Drake and Prospect roads will become increasingly visible in coming months as crews build an 18-foot-tall retaining wall to carry the guideway for buses, said Keith Meyer, project manager.

Construction also is expected to disrupt the parking lot around Whole Foods as a large pipe that will carry stormwater is installed.

The overall project is still on schedule, Meyer said, although crews will lose a week or more of field work because of this week’s heavy snowfall.

Even with construction inconveniences, Whole Foods is “super excited” about the MAX project in general and the overpass in particular, said Julie Campbell, a team leader in the store’s nutrition department.

The overpass will give residents of The Grove student housing development under construction along Centre Avenue a way to reach the store without using cars, she said.

“And we can form relationships with other businesses up and down the MAX corridor,” she said. “We’re anticipating a really great growth opportunity.”